Response Functions in a Proposed Ecosystem Services Analysis Framework for the US Army Corps of Engineers
Lisa Wainger1, Anna McMurray1, Elizabeth Murray2, Janet Cushing3
1University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
2U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center 3U.S. Army Institute for Water Resources
Determining Ecosystem‐Derived Economic Benefits from Projects
1. Management Activity
2. Ecological Outcomes
A. Response Function
3. Ecosystem Goods & Services
B. Ecoservice
Production Function
4. Social Benefits
C. Benefit / Damage Function
Increasing Information to Inform Tradeoffs
Restoration Response Functions
Targeting to achieve greatest return on investment
% Function 100
Bird Diversity
20
4
Degraded
0 10
10
100
Intact
% Stress Removed
3
Stressor Response Functions
100%
90%
% Function
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0
20
40
60
% Invasive Cover
80
100
Proportion of Maximum Benefit
Economic Damage Functions
Differ from biophysical response functions
1.200
1.000
0.800
Trail Recreation
Driving for Pleasure
0.600
Historical / Cultural
0.400
Wildlife Viewing
Existence
0.200
Property
0.000
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
Proportion of Invasive Cover
1
Conceptual models linking management options to beneficial outcomes
1. Management Options
Modify dam operations
Remove dam
Construct meanders & associated channel blocks
Construct irri‐
gation channels
Plant native riparian vegetation
Transport sediment from above the dam and deposit on banks
Affected Processes/ Structures
Hydrologic Regime
• Flow magnitude, duration, and timing
• Riparian groundwater depth
Ecological Structure
• Soil structure and saturation
• Vegetation species distribution
2. Ecological Outcomes
EGS Categories
Recruitment of foundation species ‐ trees
Ecosystem biodiversity: Restoring a portion of threatened ecosystems to self‐
sustaining states
Composition & diversity in plant communities of cottonwood‐
willow riparian forests
3. Ecosystem Goods and Services
Conservation priority of ecosystem
Quality‐
adjusted area of restored ecosystem
% of total ecosystem occurrence within the project % of restorable ecosystem within the project
Response function models for non‐use services
Ecological Outcome Metric
Models
Recruitment of foundation plant
species
Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC‐RAS) &
Hydrologic Engineering Center Ecosystem Functions Model (HEC‐EFM)
Composition and diversity in plant communities
Hydrogeomorphic Model (HGM) ‐
Characteristic Plant Communities function for Cottonwood‐Willow and Mesquite Communities (Webb & Burks‐Copes 2009)
Response function model results Recruitment of foundation trees
Acres with soil moisture sufficient for tree recruitment
Future without
project
20
Alternative Alternative Alternative Alternative A
B
C
D
20
60
60
80
Response function model results
Composition and diversity in plant communities of riparian forests
Plant community composition & diversity functional capacity index (FCI) and acreage
Future without
project
Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C Alternative D
FCI
Acres
FCI
Acres
FCI
Acres
FCI
Acres
FCI
Acres
0.84
20
0.84
20
0.9
20
0.9
20
0.9
20
0
180
0.4
20
0.55
50
0.72
180
0.82
180
‐
‐
0
160
0
130
‐
‐
‐
‐
Example MCDA Results
Project alternatives
Key Riparian ecosystem Large sustainability
positive impact
Aquatic ecosystem Moderate sustainability
positive impact
Roundtail Chub Small positive Viability
impact
Southwestern No Willow Flycatcher change
Viability
Small negative impact
Property protection
from floods
Moderate negative General impact
recreation
Large negative Recreational impact
birding
Aggregate Score
Alt A
Alt B
Alt C
Alt D
Alt E
0
10
14
14
14
0
8
8
19
19
0
4
4
9
9
0
0
8
10
10
0
0
3
10
10
0
0
5
5
5
0
0
5
5
5
0
22
47
72
72
Conclusions
 Functional understanding is adequate to support decisions for some services  Need to strengthen ability to:
 Screen for effectiveness of management measures
• Non‐linearities in production of beneficial outcomes
 Evaluate joint production of multiple services
• Complementary /competition among services
 Major data gap: models reflecting probable outcomes given uncertainties (e.g., population viability analyses)